A doctor calmly orders her to follow the instructions of a doctor. She locates a seal to help her friend with his chest wound. Megan acts as the brain. Megan is the only able body to assist Megan. Megan isn’t real. Nor was the mass shooting scenario. The technology displayed at John Bell Williams Airport Tuesday is close to becoming reality thanks to another collaboration between William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine (a.k.a. Hinds Community College’s Unmanned Aviation) program. drone) program. The Health Integrated Rescue Operations program, also known by HiRO, was the first in the United States to use drones for first aid. It also connects doctors and patients on the ground with telemedicine. “We believe this is a Mississippi story,” Dr. ItaloSubbarao, dean of William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine, said. The project’s goal is to provide medical supplies in areas where first responders may face delays reaching victims. One is a mass shooting with an active gunman, such as the attack on Pulse nightclub, Orlando. Natural disasters are a second. After the devastating tornado that hit Hattiesburg in February 2013, the idea for the program was born. Subbarao, a student who is passionate about drones, was frustrated that the technology wasn’t being implemented. He and Cooper began to work together to create the program. They had a prototype that was functional within a year. Subbarao met Dennis Lott at Hinds, who manages the unmanned aviation program. But, the project didn’t take off. It’s not a matter of chance, but divine intervention. This program teaches us how to fly drones. Subbarao is a doctor. They don’t know much about medicine, but they do know this. Paul is just a geeky guy who likes drones and was capable of taking basic information to get drones flying,” Lott smiled. HiRO’s original approach to saving lives has drawn attention at both the federal and state levels. Rick Patrick, a first response coordinator at the Department of Homeland Security, stated that the genius of the project lies in its simplicity. Many people may say that this is too simple. That could be a kindergartner’s idea. Patrick stated that if this were the case, we wouldn’t see half of the people dying. The central goal of controlling blood loss is the main objective in the immediate aftermath of a mass shooting. These situations result in ninety percent of the deaths occurring before victims receive medical attention. Half of these deaths occur within two to two hours after an injury occurs. Patrick says that the best people to provide life-saving first aid are not trained personnel, but any person who is nearby. Patrick stated that the number of lives that could be saved by these efforts and this assistance was untold. “… Uncontrolled bleeding should not cause death.” However, Subbarao stated that HiRO must be integrated with existing 911 systems in order to work effectively. Lee Smithson, director at the Mississippi Emergency Management Association said that HiRO could play an important role in his organization’s disaster relief operations. The key to this isn’t the technology, although it is amazing. Lee Smithson, director at the Mississippi Emergency Management Association, said that collaboration is what’s important about this. “When was the last time you saw two colleges working together? They would be competing against each other.” Federal Aviation Administration backing is the next step in getting the program off to the ground. The FAA currently requires remote pilots and persons who control flight controls to be able to see small unmanned aircraft like drones. The FAA is doing everything possible to keep up with this. Smithson stated that the FAA is working hard to develop a great partnership between unmanned and manned aerial systems.